


A Choice Under Silverpelt

by cymbidium_roseum



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, What-If
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-06-15
Updated: 2011-06-15
Packaged: 2018-03-05 09:39:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3115319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cymbidium_roseum/pseuds/cymbidium_roseum
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The fate of the Clans sat on a single decision...that Rusty decides not to make. What will the consequences be? One-shot, may be continued later.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Choice Under Silverpelt

It was a warm night. Rusty gazed out into the forest. What secrets it held…

He, like every other housecat, had heard the tales about the wild cats who lived in the forest. Rusty knew that they were savages, but he could not help but to envy them, to wish to be one of them. To feel the limp body of a freshly caught piece of prey; to sleep out in the open; to be _free_.

A rustle came from among the trees, not natural, not caused by a breeze. For a second Rusty had the sensation that he was being watched from afar by shining yet unseen eyes. He gave into his natural fear of the unknown for a second, then shook off the fanciful notions.

But still...

Something in the woods called to him, and he made an instant decision to go exploring. As he bunched up his muscles to spring down from his post on the fence, his friend and neighbor Smudge climbed up on his section of the fence.

"Evening, Rusty. What'cha doin'?"

"Nothing...I think I want to go out into the forest."

Smudge looked shocked. "In there? With the wildcats? They'll skin you alive!"

Rusty purred in amusement. "I doubt they'll do that. But still, you never know."

Just then, one of Rusty's housefolk emerged from the nest and called him, shaking a pot of pellets. Besides the snack, a warm night in the crook of his housefolk's knee awaited him if he went back. If he went out into the forest, he would satisfy his curiosity, but at the cost of missing out on the treats and a warm night.

He sighed and cast one last longing look at the rustling trees, mewed a farewell to Smudge, and turned towards his housefolk, who let out a pleased mew as he approached. As Rusty went inside, he felt a weight leave his shoulders, as if many things depended on the decision he had just made.

But that was just another of his fanciful notions.

**Author's Note:**

> I started this ages ago for some contest on deviantART, and I barely dug it out of the wormhole that is my fics folder about an hour ago. Its kinda short, but I wanted to upload something on here...  
> This is honestly the biggest what if in the story: what if Rusty never joins ThunderClan?
> 
> I might write a sequel later, just to show what happens to ThunderClan without this little guy.
> 
>  
> 
> {Crossposted from my ff.net profile on 1/4/15. This is ooooooooold stuff. May continue later.}


End file.
